Chester Zoo is celebrating the hatching of 10 Humboldt penguin chicks, with one chick being raised by a same-sex penguin couple named Scampi and Flounder.
The highly threatened Humboldt penguin chicks started hatching from their eggs in April and have spent their first few weeks of life in their nest burrows.
As above, one of the chicks is being raised by a same-sex couple, who stepped in to help raise one of two eggs laid by another penguin pair named Wotsit and Peach.
The zoo’s bird experts carefully shared the eggs between the two nests to help give both chicks the best possible start and to help improve the chances of successful fledging.
“10 chicks hatching in one season marks a bumper year for the penguins here,” said Zoe Sweetman, Chester Zoo’s team manager of penguins.
“It’s fantastic news for the species and a brilliant success for the international conservation breeding programme.”
10 Humboldt penguin chicks hatched at zoo
She added: “The fluffy new arrivals are all being looked after brilliantly by their parents, having nearly quadrupled in size since they first emerged.
“They’re now days away from a really exciting milestone – their very first swimming lessons, which is always a thrill to witness as they dive into the pool for the very first time.”
The Humboldt is the most threatened of all 17 species of penguin, listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Found on the coasts of Peru and Chile, Humboldt penguins face several threats in the wild, including climate change, overfishing and rising ocean temperatures.
The penguin colony at Chester Zoo plays a key role in an international breeding programme for the species.
Earlier this year, Chester Zoo received £4 million in funding to help restore wildlife habitats and engage communities across the Cheshire region.
Images courtesy of Chester Zoo
